Hmmm. So are the “Fighting Irish” of Notre Dame obviously offensive, or not? Would the Jewboys be offensive if it was the nickname of Yeshiva University? Would it be offensive to use a vanished civilization as a mascot–the Olmecs, say, or the Akkadians? There are a few Indian tribes that have allowed the use of their name as team nicknames–does that make it non-offensive, or are the Indian tribes just wrong about that? I don’t think any of this is obvious, and I think attitudes change over time. I never have understood, though, how anybody could defend the nickname “Redskins.”</p>